Lloyd’s Collision & Paint Center has deep roots in the East San Diego, CA, area, where it has offered reliable, trustworthy and quality collision repair services since 1984.
Founded by Robert Lloyd Sr., it is a second-generation collision shop with its flagship location in Santee, CA, and a second location that opened in 2012 with a recent expansion in 2021 in Lakeside, CA. With its emphasis on family operations, Robert Sr. managed the estimating aspect of the operation, while Robert Jr. performed body work and Michael painted. As both facilities have flourished, Robert Jr. and Michael have taken the roles of managing the production and quality of repairs set out by the staff.
Lloyd’s Collision & Paint Center
Location: Santee, CA
(619) 448-8768
www.lloydscollision.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 40
In Business Since: 1984
Number of Locations: Two
Combined Production Space: 75,000 square feet
Lloyd’s Collision & Paint prides itself on using the latest collision repair techniques. As a result, it knew it needed a new solution. When ADAS-equipped vehicles are damaged in a collision, their recalibration is critical to proper, safe repair. Lloyd’s did not have a way to calibrate these vehicles so it sent the work back to the dealership.
“ADAS is quickly expanding,” said Robert Jr. “We would receive vehicles and they would have codes come up representing the ADAS. We would then have to take them to the dealership to calibrate and align them. Sometimes when we would get the vehicle back from the dealer, there would still be an issue and we would have to send them back to get re-done.”
The entrepreneurial-minded Robert Jr. decided to open a mobile calibration business with his wife, Brittney. They are now able to service vehicles that have been in a collision at their facility, as well as vehicles that maybe just had a simple windshield replacement or alignment that required recalibration.
Lloyds Collision & Paint turned to Mitchell International, Inc. for its calibration target system. The repair shop already used the Mitchell RepairCenter management system and Estimating Software. From a business operations perspective, it made sense to use Mitchell’s calibration system to streamline operations seamlessly and better manage business processes.
As a result, they invested in the MD-500 all-in-one scan tool and MD-TS21 target system, which combine Bosch’s comprehensive vehicle coverage and hardware with the ability to run Mitchell’s full suite of cloud-based repair solutions.
Bosch is an industry leader in ADAS. Having diagnostic licensing agreements with all major OEMs, it had the most complete vehicle coverage and a clear advantage over others in the market.
The decision to invest in Mitchell’s solution was made easier because Robert Jr.’s great working relationship with his local representative, Luke Burger, made the whole investment process smooth and easy.
“Luke always goes above and beyond for us so there was great trust there,” said Robert Jr.
After Lloyd’s purchased the tools in 2021, Mitchell held intense, two-day training for the Lloyds at their facility to train them on the calibration equipment.
“We had very personal training with the Bosch and Mitchell reps at our vehicle calibration facility,” recalled Robert Jr.
“We took several vehicles from the shop and spent two days setting up the equipment, all the targets, and what to do, not to do,” he said. “The training was better than what we could have asked for.”
To build on his training, he took several I-CAR and manufacturer training courses, and continues to grow his knowledge daily to keep up with latest software powering vehicles today.
Some of the many features Robert Jr. has appreciated about Mitchell’s tools include a complete workflow solution that supports static and dynamic calibrations, scanning and estimating/repair blueprinting. Working with Mitchell’s system will integrate the scan tools directly into the workflow applications used by collision repairers and insurance carriers, assisting in the diagnostic portion of collision repairs.
It makes repairers’ jobs so much simpler when it comes to writing estimates. The MD-500 integrates with Mitchell’s cloud-based solutions, making it easy for repairers to walk around a vehicle, take photos, write an estimate, link directly to the OEM repair information from the DTC, order parts and automatically upload standardized scan and calibration reports.
As a result of this technology investment, Robert Jr. said the equipment has paid for itself within a year because the shop can support the calibration work from other local businesses, whether it’s a glass company, tire/alignment shop or another body shop. Lloyd’s is glad to be ahead of the pack in its area regarding ADAS.
Ultimately, the biggest benefit of Mitchell’s calibration system is time. “It’s expedited the repairs and lessened the cycle time, which is advantageous to the shop and customer,” he said.
Mitchell International, Inc., an Enlyte Company
9771 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Ste. A
San Diego, CA 92124
www.mitchell.com/diagnostics
Twitter: @MitchellRepair
LinkedIn: @mitchell-international
YouTube: @MitchellIntl
To read more auto body shop profiles in the October 2022 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
